Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41265444›Full record

ArticleCell reports. Medicine2025

Ngn2 and Isl1-mediated astrocyte-to-neuron conversion in vivo promotes functional recovery after spinal cord injury.

Meiling Zhou, Hebing Zhang, Ming Sui, Yu Cao, Xiaoqing Tao, Mei Zhou, Changlong Leng, Mengbing Huang, Kaili Yin, Xiuxian Wei and 10 more

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Cell reports. Medicine, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

20 authors.

Meiling ZhouWuhan Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Key Laboratory of Hubei Province for Cognitive and Affective Disorders, School of Medicine, Jianghan University, Wuhan 430056, China.
Hebing ZhangWuhan Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Key Laboratory of Hubei Province for Cognitive and Affective Disorders, School of Medicine, Jianghan University, Wuhan 430056, China.
Ming SuiDepartment of Physiology, School of Basic Medicine, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430030, China.
Yu CaoWuhan Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Key Laboratory of Hubei Province for Cognitive and Affective Disorders, School of Medicine, Jianghan University, Wuhan 430056, China.
Xiaoqing TaoWuhan Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Key Laboratory of Hubei Province for Cognitive and Affective Disorders, School of Medicine, Jianghan University, Wuhan 430056, China.
Mei ZhouWuhan Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Key Laboratory of Hubei Province for Cognitive and Affective Disorders, School of Medicine, Jianghan University, Wuhan 430056, China.
Changlong LengWuhan Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Key Laboratory of Hubei Province for Cognitive and Affective Disorders, School of Medicine, Jianghan University, Wuhan 430056, China.
Mengbing HuangWuhan Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Key Laboratory of Hubei Province for Cognitive and Affective Disorders, School of Medicine, Jianghan University, Wuhan 430056, China.
Kaili YinKey Laboratory of Environmental Health, Ministry of Education, Department of Toxicology, School of Public Health, Tongji Medical College, Wuhan, China; The Institute for Brain Research, Collaborative Innovation Center for Brain Science, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430030, China.
Xiuxian WeiDepartment of Physiology, School of Basic Medicine, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430030, China.
Yunjie ZhengDepartment of Physiology, School of Basic Medicine, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430030, China.
Juan LuoDepartment of Physiology, School of Basic Medicine, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430030, China; The Institute for Brain Research, Collaborative Innovation Center for Brain Science, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430030, China.
Yiyuan XiaWuhan Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Key Laboratory of Hubei Province for Cognitive and Affective Disorders, School of Medicine, Jianghan University, Wuhan 430056, China.
Binlian SunWuhan Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Key Laboratory of Hubei Province for Cognitive and Affective Disorders, School of Medicine, Jianghan University, Wuhan 430056, China.
Dan ZhuBritton Chance Center for Biomedical Photonics-MoE Key Laboratory for Biomedical Photonics, Wuhan National Laboratory for Optoelectronics - Advanced Biomedical Imaging Facility, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei 430074, China.
Guo ZhangKey Laboratory of Environmental Health, Ministry of Education, Department of Toxicology, School of Public Health, Tongji Medical College, Wuhan, China; The Institute for Brain Research, Collaborative Innovation Center for Brain Science, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430030, China.
Feng WanDepartment of Neurosurgery, Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital, Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China.
Wei LiuWuhan Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Key Laboratory of Hubei Province for Cognitive and Affective Disorders, School of Medicine, Jianghan University, Wuhan 430056, China.
Bin ZhangDepartment of Physiology, School of Basic Medicine, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430030, China; The Institute for Brain Research, Collaborative Innovation Center for Brain Science, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430030, China; Hubei Key Laboratory of Drug Target Research and Pharmacodynamic Evaluation, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430030, China. Electronic address: binzhang@hust.edu.cn.
Xiji ShuWuhan Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Key Laboratory of Hubei Province for Cognitive and Affective Disorders, School of Medicine, Jianghan University, Wuhan 430056, China. Electronic address: xijishu@jhun.edu.cn.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Adult neurogenesis plays a crucial role in maintaining brain homeostasis and can respond to neurogenic injuries. However, the adult mammalian spinal cord has extremely limited intrinsic neurogenic ability. Here, we show that in vivo astrocyte-to-neuron conversion can regenerate functional neurons after spinal cord injury (SCI) through CRISPRa-mediated activation of endogenous transcription factors Ngn2 and Isl1. Lineage tracing confirms that the origin of these induced neurons is reactive astrocytes, rather than endogenous neurons. Furthermore, these induced neurons express specific markers of motor neurons and glutamatergic neurons and form synaptic connections with ascending and descending spinal pathways. Importantly, astrocyte-to-neuron conversion promotes propriospinal axon regeneration, improves the neuromuscular junction (NMJ) morphology and function of muscle, and finally promotes motor functional recovery after SCI. In summary, our results would contribute to resolving the controversy surrounding lineage reprogramming and demonstrate that in vivo cell conversion may be a potential therapeutic strategy for treating SCI.

Indexed as

AstrocytesBasic Helix-Loop-Helix ProteinsLIM-Homeodomain ProteinsNerve Tissue ProteinsNeuronsRecovery of FunctionSpinal Cord InjuriesTranscription FactorsAnimalsAxonsFemaleMiceMice, Inbred C57BLMotor NeuronsNerve RegenerationNeurogenesisBasic Helix-Loop-Helix Proteinsinsulin gene enhancer binding protein Isl-1LIM-Homeodomain ProteinsNerve Tissue ProteinsNeurog2 protein, mouseTranscription FactorsastrocytesCRISPRamotor neuronneuronal reprogrammingspinal cord injury

Identifiers

PMID41265444
PMCPMC12765836

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